1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an entertainment system comprising a fluid system comprising smoke generating means, said smoke generating means are supplied from at least one pump connected to at least one container for fluid, which at least one pump is controlled by control means. The present invention furthermore relates to a method for operating an entertainment system.
2. Description of Related Art
Atmospheric effects such as special effect smoke like fog and haze are now seen as a key element in the field of entertainment effects. The use of these atmospheric effects can be found throughout motion pictures and television productions, live theatre, concerts, at nightclubs and raves, amusement and theme parks and even in video arcades and similar venues and are used for creating special effects to make lighting and lighting effects visible and to create a specific sense of mood or atmosphere. If an individual is at an entertainment venue and beams of light are visible cutting across the room, then it is most likely that smoke or fog is being used. Theatrical smoke and fog are indispensable in creating visible mid-air laser effects to entertain audiences, and lighting designers therefore use a fine diffused haze when creating such effects.
Most smoke/fog/haze machines create the smoke/fog/haze by either vaporizing a water and glycol-based or glycerine-based fluid or by a mineral-oil-based fog via atomization. For glycol-based smoke/fog/haze, the fluid (fog juice) is injected into a heated block and evaporates quickly. The resulting pressure forces the vapour out of the exit. Upon coming into contact with cool outside air the vapour forms a fog. When shutting down a machine of this type, it is important to allow the machine to go through a shut-down process before removing the AC network power from the machine. Failure to do this leads to a progressive build-up of polymerised glycol in the vaporiser resulting in premature failure of the unit. The machines are often used in connection with concerts and road shows where the machines are packed and transported to a new location just as the concert or roads show ends. The machines are as a consequence typically unplugged from the power supply without being properly shut down. Another issue is the fact that the smoke/fog/haze machines eventually consume all fog juice in the container, which also could damage the smoke generator and other parts of the smoke machine, if the machine continues to run after all fog juice have been consumed.
Furthermore, the machines use a large amount of energy to vaporise the fluid and thus need a large power supply. Large concerts and shows very often comprise a large number of smoke/fog/haze machines, lighting and sound equipment, and the power supply needs to be shared between the different equipment. The power supply might therefore be limited and the smoke/fog/haze machines can as a consequence not be supplied with sufficient power to create the smoke/fog/haze effects.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,242,098 relates to a fog generator where the energy supply is generated by a burner, which burner evaporates water and fog chemical in tube forming a coil around the burning flame. The generated steam in the coil is relieved through an outlet to form fog.